Volkswagen parks in Honda's U.S. driveway

By Christiaan Hetzner
FRANKFURT Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:51am EST

(Reuters) - Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn squeezes his bulky frame behind the wheel of the new Honda Civic and takes out a tape measure - part of a forensic, and very public, inspection of the five-door compact at last September's Frankfurt car show.

"You were a role model for us for many years once," he tells an attendant Honda official. "Really."

They were the words of a man who knows Honda (7267.T) is on the ropes in the United States, and who fervently hopes he can eat the Japanese group's lunch in its biggest market.

The United States is home to nearly one in two Honda buyers, but its sales there fell 7 percent last year while overall U.S. vehicle sales expanded at a double-digit pace.

As a result, Honda's market share has tumbled 2 percentage points in two years to 8 percent in 2011. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is headed in the opposite direction, albeit from a low base.

Winterkorn wants to at least double the Volkswagen VW.L brand's 2.5 percent U.S. market share. Last year's sales performance was the best VW has managed there in three decades, with sales of Jettas and Passats up 44 percent and 83 percent respectively.

"The good news for Volkswagen is that brand loyalty is not what it used to be. Honda buyers started to flee to other brands like Hyundai because they wanted to express themselves and not be just one of the herd," said TrueCar analyst Jesse Toprak.

At an international level, VW has had its ups and downs since its birth in 1930s Germany, but it has come out of the 2008 crisis better than most.

While General Motors (GM.N) was pushed into a pre-packaged bankruptcy and Toyota (7203.T) endured its first ever operating loss, the Wolfsburg-based group has emerged as the world's second largest carmaker with the firepower to buy Peugeot (PEUP.PA), Fiat (FIA.MI) and Renault (RENA.PA) put together.

It made a record profit in 2011, but will need to prey on weaker rivals abroad to keep growing. That is because its core European market is set to shrink to its smallest in a decade, and carmakers are piling on costly, margin-corrosive incentives for free to compete for what remains.

VW's ultimate goal of becoming the largest, most profitable carmaker in the industry hinges on whether it can find lasting nourishment in the United States, where its pricey imports long ago forced the brand to feed off the scraps left over by others.

By shifting German car production to Tennessee and taking expensive features out of their over-engineered cars, a practice known as "de-contenting", VW has succeeded in luring customers back with affordable entry prices and sporty sedans like the Jetta - features that were once the hallmarks of Honda's Accords and Civics.

"Our biggest competitor here is Honda, since its customer base shares the same core values. We both focus on sportiness and versatility and have high demands when it comes to handling," VW's U.S. strategy chief, Rainer Michel told Reuters.

Toyota's no-frills customers do not buy a Camry to enjoy the ride, he said, while Hyundai buyers are attracted to the kind of trendy exterior designs which Honda and VW both eschew.

HUGE BULL'S-EYE
Honda, by contrast, has a pool of well-educated and more affluent U.S. car owners who tend to favour more subdued styling packaged into a fun ride.

Among its five biggest competitors, Honda boasts the lowest spending on incentives like cash rebates or free features and trim, according to auto-information website Edmunds.com.

It also abstains entirely from selling to fleets like Hertz rental agency. Fleet sales and incentives are both pressure valves many carmakers resort to when times are hard.

"We are not the flashy choice, we are the smart choice that informed customers make after weighing things like reliability, fuel economy, driving enjoyment and so on. This helps us keep a tight lid on incentives and preserve a high resale value for our owners," said American Honda spokesman Chris Martin.

"That also means that we have a huge bull's-eye painted on our back, though, since any other auto company would love to attract this kind of customer base."

But the chinks are starting to show in Honda's armour. It expects operating profit in the year to end-March 2012 to fall 65 percent to its lowest level in three years, prompting Moody's to downgrade the company's outlook to negative due partly to the tougher competition from predators like VW.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and floods in Japan and Thailand severely damaged its supply chain last year. Making matters worse, the latest Civic model has been panned by critics in the United States, forcing Honda to promise a costly facelift much earlier than planned.

"The Civic was for the longest time the torch bearer for what Honda was all about - compact cars with efficient four cylinder engines and very responsive chassis that give drivers a great feeling for the road," said Bill Visnic, an analyst and senior editor for Edmunds.com.

"That reputation has been slipping rather precipitously, though, ever since they began compromising to chase market share with cars getting bigger and the ride becoming softer."

AMERICAN HEARTLANDS
Meanwhile VW has one of the youngest customer bases - important for a brand's image - while spending even less than Honda on incentives - quick fixes that boost volumes but ultimately hurt demand over the long run as resale values fall.

As a result, the new Passat sedan spends half as long collecting dust on a dealer lot than the average U.S. vehicle.

"A lot of new VW buyers were Honda owners who no longer wanted to see 10 other exact same cars every time they came to a stop at the traffic light," said Chris Chaney, Vice President of consumer research group Strategic Vision.

According to his firm's surveys, Honda was the brand to surrender sales the most to VW last year. VW owners are more prone not just to feel better about driving their new cars but also to be more excited about them than Honda customers.

"There is no question that there are Honda owners who see Volkswagen as a step towards the prestige associated with German engineering," Chaney said.

With gasoline prices expected to climb, market researcher Art Spinella believes VW can also benefit from its strong range of fuel-efficient diesels, but warns a patchy dealer network, largely based in coastal areas, will continue to hold them back.

"Pump prices mean that car buyers will consider VW much more often, but for that to translate into actual sales they need good dealers, and here they are only strong in the slow-growth states in the Northeast," said Spinella, President of CNW.

In order to hit its sales target of 800,000 VW brand car sales by 2018, VW opened up in January a new sales office in Dallas to support the near 100 dealers spread thinly across 16 states.

Dependability may also need to improve, however, before buyers in more rural areas think about a VW.

"I think the biggest problem Volkswagen will need to address is its reliability issues, if it wants to make greater inroads into the American heartlands," said Gabriel Shenhar, Senior Auto Test Engineer & Program Manager at Consumer Reports.

In the hopes of better persuading Honda owners to defect, VW has poached marketing guru Tim Mahoney from Japanese rival Subaru of America (7270.T).

Known for his ability to hit an emotional nerve through ads like the Subaru Love campaign, he was recently voted by industry newspaper Automotive News as one of 10 managers to watch this year alongside such exalted peers as the group chief executives of Toyota, Ford and, yes, Honda.

BARKING DOGS
VW's traditional focus has been on its engineering prowess, but Mahoney favours funny skits like the "Vamonos" ad, with its clever emphasis on the fuel economy features of the VW Passat TDI.

"In a world of instant entertainment, companies can overestimate what a person can absorb in a 30 second spot that flashes over a TV screen," he told Reuters.

"But by engaging someone with ad they can relate to, you can draw people into a more complete experience offered on our website or get them to download the latest Golf racing app."

VW built on last year's Star Wars-themed "Force" commercial, voted the best ad of 2011 by industry publication Adweek, with a viral teaser spot on YouTube that featured a choir of dogs barking out the theme tune from the space saga.

Not so much as a front headlight - let alone a whole car - is ever shown, but the association with VW is unmistakable.

"People are even filming their dogs watching the spot and posting it on the internet. Humour is a big part of what we do and people like to participate," said Mahoney, a language major who studied in Vienna and Goettingen.

Honda's ad people are fighting back.

Fresh from a month of resurgent Civic sales in January, it is creating buzz with a popular ad where Matthew Broderick reprises his role from the 1980s hit "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", only this time he is behind the wheel of a CR-V crossover instead of a vintage Ferrari 250GT cabrio.

A Honda executive who worked for six years in the United States says last year marked the trough in sales for the brand, and the business there is now firmly on a path to recovery.

"It is true that Volkswagen has been expanding aggressively with success, but I believe the U.S. sales data for the new Civic in January is indicative of the new improving trend," Honda Europe President Manabu Nishimae told Reuters.

Just to make sure, though, American Honda reshuffled its management in order "to further speed decision-making and increase efficiency and competitiveness," it said last week.

Source;
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/28/uk-volkswagen-honda-idUSLNE81R01V20120228

Honda Malaysia: Facelifted Honda Insight

Honda Malaysia has introduced the facelifted Insight hybrid, in its 1.3 litre form. Aside from some external revisions, the facelift – which made its debut in Frankfurt last year – promises to deliver better fuel economy along with a string of other refinements.

Kicking things off are new front and rear bumpers, and the headlights now wear a tint of blue highlight. Additionally, the new grille design features a blue reflector underneath. The tailgate spoiler has also been slimmed, and together with a modified tail gate garnish and a reduction in the size of the wiper motor unit, results in overall increased rear visibility.


Appearance aside, the aerodynamics of the car have also been improved, reducing the running resistance and thus resulting in better fuel economy. The 1.3 litre IMA system – with 88 PS and 121 Nm from the engine and 14 PS and 78 Nm from the motor – gets some powertrain efficiency improvements.

Revisions to the CVT and mill, the latter in the form of reduced engine friction, as well as alterations to the air conditioning system, all do their bit to contribute to lower fuel consumption.
The Insight also features a quieter ride, with the inclusion of added noise insulation materials for better NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) performance. Meanwhile, the seats are now upholstered with a new fabric, and rear passengers now enjoy an extra head clearance of 15mm, following adjustments to the shape of the roof lining and the hip point of the rear seats.

Still on dual airbags, but there’s Hill Start Assist (HSA) and VSA on this one, and the wave key has been changed to a more compact jack-knife version. Four exterior colours abound, and these are Platinum Aqua Metallic, Premium White Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl and Alabaster Silver Metallic.

The facelifted Insight goes for RM99,800 (on-the-road), and comes with a five-year or 140,000 km warranty on the IMA battery. The best part is that you don’t have to wait long for one, if you’ve been eyeing it – fully aware of the current demand of the new Insight, Honda Malaysia says the waiting period for an Insight is now less than two weeks. No indication as to when the 1.5 litre job will arrive.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2012/02/29/honda-insight-facelift-arrives-1-3l-variant-rm99800/

Consumer Reports Video Review of the 2012 Honda CRV

U.S. Rule Set for Cameras at Cars’ Rear

By NICK BUNKLEY

On average, two children die and about 50 are injured every week when someone accidentally backs over them in a vehicle, according to KidsAndCars.org, a nonprofit group that pushed the government to begin tracking such tragedies. And more than two-thirds of the time, a parent or other close relative is behind the wheel.

Now, auto safety regulators have decided to do something about it. Federal regulators plan to announce this week that automakers will be required to put rearview cameras in all passenger vehicles by 2014 to help drivers see what is behind them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which proposed the mandate in late 2010, is expected to send a final version of the rule to Congress on Wednesday.

Cars are filled with safety features that have been mandated by government regulators over the years, including air bags and the Liddy Light, the third brake light named for Elizabeth Dole, who made it standard as secretary of transportation in the 1980s.

But the rearview camera requirement is one of the biggest steps taken to protect people outside of a vehicle.

“We haven’t done anything else to protect pedestrians,” said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington. “This is one thing we can do and should do.”
A spokeswoman for the highway traffic safety agency declined to comment before the new rule was announced.

However, in a preliminary version circulated for public comment, regulators predicted that adding the cameras and viewing screens will cost the auto industry as much as $2.7 billion a year, or $160 to $200 a vehicle. At least some of the cost is expected to be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

But regulators say that 95 to 112 deaths and as many as 8,374 injuries could be avoided each year by eliminating the wide blind spot behind a vehicle. Government statistics indicate that 228 people of all ages — 44 percent of whom are under age 5 — die every year in backover accidents involving passenger vehicles. About 17,000 people a year are injured in such accidents.

“In terms of absolute numbers of lives saved, it certainly isn’t the highest,” Mr. Ditlow said. “But in terms of emotional tragedy, backover deaths are some of the worst imaginable. When you have a parent that kills a child in an incident that’s utterly avoidable, they don’t ever forget it.”

Automakers began offering backup cameras only about a decade ago, by using the in-dash navigation screens that had become popular on luxury models. The feature has become increasingly popular as companies found more inexpensive ways to display camera images to a driver, such as on a screen hidden in the rearview mirror.

For the 2012 model year, 45 percent of vehicles offer a rearview camera as standard equipment, according to the automotive research Web site Edmunds.com. It is an optional feature on 23 percent of models.

Safety advocates said a mandatory camera is long overdue. “We wouldn’t buy a car if we couldn’t see 30 or 40 feet going forward,” said Janette Fennell, the founder of KidsAndCars.org. “We’re taking this big lethal weapon going in reverse, and we can’t see.”

The new requirement stems from a 2008 law, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, named for a 2-year-old boy who died in 2002 when his pediatrician father was backing a sport utility vehicle into their driveway. The law required the N.H.T.S.A. to set standards for rear visibility, which had never been regulated.

In urging Congress to help reduce backover injuries, KidsAndCars created a public-service announcement showing that 62 children could fit behind a large S.U.V. without being visible to the driver in any of the mirrors.

Although they account for a small fraction of the deaths that result from automobile crashes, backovers are the most common cause of off-road deaths involving children and vehicles, according to KidsAndCars. The number of reported child fatalities attributed to backovers totaled 448 in the years 2006 through 2010, a sharp increase from 88 in a four-year period a decade earlier, the group said.

In many cases, the incidents involve a phenomenon that safety advocates call “bye-bye syndrome,” when a child runs outside to wave to someone driving away, without that person’s knowledge.

As vehicles have become larger and designed to better protect occupants, drivers’ ability to see any people or objects behind them has been reduced, said Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com.

“Over time, the beltlines have risen, and the glass has gotten a little smaller in the interest of safety,” Mr. Edmunds said. “There’s certainly been a lot of attention paid to safety, but visibility hasn’t necessarily been lumped in the same way.”

Edmunds now measures the size of the blind spot behind each new vehicle, based on how far back the driver can see a mannequin designed to resemble a small child. Although many backover incidents involve S.U.V.’s and trucks, Mr. Edmunds said some of the biggest blind spots are on passenger cars where the trunk has a high deck lid and the driver sits low to the ground.

For the Cadillac CTS-V coupe, Edmunds measured a blind spot 101 feet long, compared with about 40 feet for minivans from Toyota and Honda.

Automakers have generally supported the requirement, while some took issue with technical aspects of the proposal and the added cost. “We’ve had longstanding support for efforts to increase the field of view for these vehicles,” said Wade Newton, of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the 2014 mandate, automakers have been designing models with camera systems in mind. Instead of including a camera in a $2,000 navigation package, many have made it standard or a stand-alone option for a few hundred dollars.

When Honda revamped its CR-V crossover vehicle last year, it included a backup camera as standard equipment. On the 2011 model, CR-V buyers who wanted a camera had to buy the top-of-the-line EX-L trim with a navigation system, which cost $7,000 more than the base model.

Regulators studied other ways of improving rear visibility, including the beeping radar-based sensors that many vehicles already offer. But they determined that the sensors often did not detect moving people, especially children. Drivers also responded better to the camera image than the audio alerts, they said.

“Video camera-based systems are by far the most comprehensive and cost-effective currently available solution for reducing backover crashes, fatalities and injuries,” the N.H.T.S.A. said.

Source;
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/business/us-rule-set-for-cameras-at-cars-rear.html?_r=3&pagewanted=print

All-New 2013 Nissan Altima Unintentionally Revealed in Official Video

In a video celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, the Japanese automaker accidentally showed a pre-production prototype of the 2013 Altima sedan without any camouflage.

The find was made by Mike Magrath from Insideline who was able to capture a screen shot of the car before Nissan pulled out the video replacing it with a revised version (3.44 minutes into the clip) that displays a covered up prototype of the Infiniti JX crossover in its place.

Source;
http://www.carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/02/all-new-2013-nissan-altima.html

Joining the over-40 mpg club: Overachievers that can beat EPA fuel economy ratings

Very Interesting.... A certain brand that boasts better fuel economy than the Honda isn't even listed.... Don't forget for us Canadians, this is US gallons, not Imperial.
We’ve recently showed that most fuel-efficient cars can beat their EPA highway fuel economy estimates in Consumer Reports measured fuel economy testing. But if you want to hit 40 mpg on the highway, our tests show that you have more options than you might think.

Below is a list of recently tested vehicles that returned 40 mpg or better in our 65-mph highway fuel economy testing, but were officially rated for less.

If getting that magic 40 mpg on the highway is important to you, this list provides more options.
Again, it’s important to emphasize that maximizing fuel economy depends a lot on how and where you drive.

Several years ago we measured fuel economy with a 2005 Toyota Camry four-cylinder sedan in different situations. Driving at 65 mph delivered 35 mpg; speeding up to 75 mph cut that to 30 mpg, while slowing down to 55 mph returned 40 mpg. Hard acceleration and braking reduced the Camry’s mileage by 2 to 3 mpg.

The bottom line

EPA highway fuel economy numbers provide a place to start your comparison shopping, but they’re often over-hyped as advertising claims. The full fuel picture is more complicated than that. We suggest using a variety of sources, including Consumer Reports test data, to determine if you’ll actually get the fuel economy you desire.

—Tom Mutchler

Source;

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/02/joining-the-over-40-mpg-club-overachievers-that-can-beat-epa-fuel-economy-ratings.html

No Honda City diesel sedan launch in 2012, confirms top Honda official: ICB Exclusive!

Ahead of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show that will happen very soon, there has been fresh speculation about Honda launching a diesel variant of its flagship City sedan in the Indian market, as early as this year. We got very interested in this seemingly big development and immediately got in touch with a top Honda official to confirm this story. Yet again, the Honda diesel bubble stands pricked as the Honda official clearly told us that Honda SIEL Cars India(HSCI) has no plans whatsoever of launching the diesel variant of the Honda City sedan in 2012. Therefore, the rumors of a City Diesel being launched in 2012 remain just that, mere rumors.

We also have gathered that Honda has no plans of launching any diesel engine car in India during 2012 from the HSCI official we got in touch with, consonant with the previous report we carried a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, it seems like the Civic Diesel too will take some time to arrive onto the Indian car market. Honda is the only mass market carmaker in India to not have even a single diesel engined variant in its portfolio and this hasn’t done the brand any good at the hustings, even as the Indian car market has shown a dramatic shift in preference towards diesel cars over the past few years. Honda though, does have plans of launching diesel engined cars in the future and a brand new line of diesel engines are being developed by Honda engineers.

In fact, Honda has deputed ex-Formula1 engineers on the job and the first diesel engine to emerge from this operation is the recently unveiled 1.6 Liter i-DTEC turbo diesel unit, which generates 120 Bhp of peak power and a superb peak torque output of 300 Nm. This engine will debut on the 2012 Honda Civic sedan. Honda is also said to be developing smaller, downsized variants of the 1.6 Liter i-DTEC engine which may power cars like the Jazz and Brio hatchbacks in the future. There is also some buzz about Honda unveiling another small capacity engine at the fast approaching 2012 Geneva Motor Show, which is said to be one of the most prestigious amongst auto shows. Watch this space.

Source;

http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/honda-city-diesel-sedan-launch-2012-confirms-top-honda-official-icb-exclusive-56370/

Honda Reveals Images of the European CR-V Prototype

Honda has revealed images of the European CR-V Prototype ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 6 March 2012.

This preview model highlights the exterior styling direction of the all-new fourth generation European Honda CR-V, which is set to go on sale in Autumn 2012.

Compared to the previous generation, this Prototype adopts a more aggressive stance with deeper sculpting of the body lines and a bolder front fascia. The lower front bumper wraps smartly upward to convey SUV capability, while the lower front bumper design now integrates more smoothly into the fascia for improved aerodynamics.

The Honda Press Conference will take place at 09.15 CET on Tuesday 6 March.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,2183-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

Honda Putting No. 2 Executive in U.S. in Localization Drive

Honda plans to post its second-highest ranking global executive in the U.S. for the first time as the automaker that was Japan’s first to build cars in the market extends a three-decade localization push.

Tetsuo Iwamura, 60, Honda’s chief operating officer for North America, on April 1 adds the titles of executive vice president and executive officer, the Tokyo-based company said today in a statement. Iwamura is to also join Honda’s board in late June, pending shareholder approval, the company said.

Iwamura will continue to run operations in North America while assisting President Takanobu Ito in managing global sales, said Jun Odajima, a company spokesman. “This is the first time the top North American executive has also been the No. 2 company official,” he said.

The promotion of Iwamura and naming of Erik Berkman to lead Honda’s U.S. research and development unit, the first time that job has gone to a non-Japanese engineer, come as the company lifts production across North America, its biggest source of revenue, to counter a rising yen. Honda is increasing vehicle output at plants in the U.S. and Canada, adding a factory in Mexico to build subcompacts and preparing to make the Acura NSX supercar in Ohio by 2014.

Berkman, currently vice president of corporate planning and logistics for U.S. auto operations, is to become president of Honda R&D Americas on April 1, the company said.

Honda’s U.S. headquarters are in Torrance, California. The company’s American depositary receipts rose 1.3 percent to $37.28 at the close in New York.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/honda-putting-no-2-global-manager-in-u-s-in-localization-drive.html

New Hotwheels Poster Reveals Next Gen Viper?

Source;

http://ripituc.blogspot.com/2012/02/hot-wheels-2012-poster.html

Bugatti Veyron Replica Based on Honda Civic

People will always try to drive what they can’t reach, which is why the car replica market will always have demand. However, some replicas are more hideous than others and we’re here to give you one that deserves to go straight to the scrap yard.We are talking about a Bugatti Veyron wannabe, which was built on the platform of a 1992-1995 generation Honda Civic Coupe.

The Japanese car had received an eight-piece fiberglass kit, with the result being one of the ugliest pieces of machinery we’ve ever seen.The vehicle can be found in Florida and it was recently offered for sale on Ebay, with an asking price of $4,500. As expected, there were no bids at all...

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bugatti-veyron-replica-based-on-honda-civic-42884.html

Honda New Civic Smartphone App Launched

The new Honda Civic is ready to meet the European market and the carmaker has now released a smartphone app to support the launch of the car, with this aiming to connect with customers at an emotional level.The Honda Civic App was developed by Nexus/H and aims to become a part of the buying process, being included in a wider marketing plan that also includes printed catalgoues, as well as other online and offline channels.

Here are the key features of the new app:
An interactive “hot spot” to demonstrate the imaginative Honda “Magic Seats” system with a fun game that shows the variety of items that can be conveniently stored within the flexible interior and luggage area.

A dynamic 360 degree viewing facility that provides a virtual tour of the interior space and equipment that becomes even more involving with the iPhone version which uses an accelerometer.

Users can create their own “wind tunnel” experiment through the smartphone mic and discover some of the key aerodynamic and handling characteristics of the new Civic.

Ability for users to “explore models” and to create their own new Civic, choosing model, engine, grade, colour, etc., with a social media and email facility to post and share their model on Twitter or Facebook.

The Honda Civic mobile app is now offered for download in over 20 European markets, being available at the app Store and Android Market.

Source;

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/honda-new-civic-smartphone-app-launched-42847.html

Hyundai Says No, But Kia Could Say Yes to Trucks

Hmmmm..... interesting....
Don't expect Hyundai to step into the pickup truck segment anytime soon, as company President and CEO John Krafcik is not interested in repeating the same mistakes other automotive manufactuers have made.

"Our brand resonates best with families, but that's where we have the lowest market penetration. There's tremendous upside for us in crossovers. ... More seven-passenger crossover capacity is No. 1 on our priority list for the U.S," he said.

Phelan suggests this will likely mean Hyundai won't jump into the van (minivan or other) or pickup truck segment, and that makes sense. Hyundai has done a pretty good job lately of creating some buzz for its mainstream Genesis, Elantra, Sonata and eye-catching Veloster.

"When we looked at other companies in their growth phase, this (over-expansion) was where the train came off the track," and pressure to boost production led to quality snafus, Krafcik said. Our guess he's talking specfically about Toyota's multibillion-dollar endeavor in San Antonio.

Still, with a seven-passenger, rear-wheel-drive crossover in the works, a good amount of money already dedicated to rear-drive platforms and some new hybrid powertrain technologies, it would not be a stretch for Hyundai's "downmarket" player, Kia, to make a play in the pickup truck segment. The Kia Mojove concept was floated around about 10 years ago, and that was when the company wasn't doing nearly as well or had access to nearly as many resources.

Maybe Hyundai isn't ready to step into the realm of a small- or medium-sized pickup truck, but Kia certainly could, and it could likely have some interesting design and technology options at its disposal. In 2004, Kia played with the idea of a half-ton competitor for the U.S., called the KCV-4 Mojave, but the project was officially killed in 2008 because of unstable gas prices and shrinking interest in a small pickup. At that time, the vehicle was to be based off the new Kia Sorento (concept design by Stanley Ivan pictured).

Whether or not something new could be based off another larger or smaller SUV or crossover remains to be seen. (Remember the Soulster?) Regardless, it almost certainly would require a new assembly plant or some serious modifications to an existing facility. For now, it looks like we'll have to wait and see, but they do have options.

Source;
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2012/02/hyundai-says-no-but-kia-could-say-yes.html

American Honda Finance Sells $1.75 Bln Deal In US Bond Market -Source

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--American Honda Finance Corp., a financing arm of Honda Motor Co. (HMC, 7267.TO), sold $1.75 billion in a two-part private placement in the U.S. credit markets Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The deal featured $1 billion of 1.45% coupon, three-year notes priced to yield 1.468%, or 103 basis points over Treasurys, and $750 million of 2.125% coupon, five-year notes priced to yield 2.126%, or 123 basis points over Treasurys. Each yield is two basis points tighter than original pricing guidance.

A banker familiar with the deal said it garnered about $4.25 billion of orders from investors, or more than two-and-a-half times the needed amount.

The notes are expected to be rated A1 by Moody's Investors Service, A-plus by Standard & Poor's, and A by Fitch Ratings.

Barclays Capital, J.P. Morgan and Royal Bank of Scotland are lead underwriters on the sale.

-By Patrick McGee, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2382; patrick.mcgee@dowjones.com

Source;
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120221-717467.html

New Honda Civic awarded 5 stars by Euro NCAP

The new Honda Civic has been awarded Euro NCAP's maximum 5-star rating, following publication of the safety body's independent crash testing results.
In addition, Euro NCAP have announced that they are extending Honda's Euro NCAP Advanced reward for its Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) technology to include the new Civic.

The rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. Since the introduction of Euro NCAP's new rating scheme in February 2009, all Honda models tested have achieved 5-stars.

Euro NCAP also announced that they are extending Honda's Advanced NCAP reward for its CMBS technology to include the new Civic. The reward recognises Honda's CMBS technology as amongst the best available safety innovations, offering proven benefits. Euro NCAP Advanced is an initiative developed in response to the rapid development of new safety technologies, for which there is no independent assessment.

Honda's Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) is a radar-based autonomous emergency braking system designed to help prevent collisions with vehicles which are stationary or travelling in the same direction. The system is aimed at alerting the driver to an imminent collision both at low speeds, typical of urban driving, and at higher speeds typical of rural roads and motorways. By studying accident statistics in Germany and extending the figures to the broader European community, Honda estimates that, if all cars were fitted with CMBS, between 200,000 and 250,000 accidents could be either prevented or mitigated every year.

Honda uses its own car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D centre allows the Japanese manufacturer to analyse impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both passengers and pedestrians. The omni-directional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test facility opened in 2001 and is the world's first indoor facility of its type.

Source;
http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/Honda_news.html?id=11913

New Honda Civic BTCC Race Car Starts Testing

The Honda Racing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will begin putting the new Civic hatch designated Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) through its first trials in public today at the famous Brands Hatch. At the wheel will be Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden and triple-BTCC champion Matt Neal, getting a feel for the car ahead of the season’s start on April 1st.

“This is the first opportunity we have had to get behind the wheel to really see what the car has got. The team are really pleased with the results from the test at MIRA last week and I can’t wait to finally start putting the car through its paces,” says driver Matt Neal. “It will be interesting to see how the car performs, but I’m optimistic that we’ll walk away from today confident we have a championship winning car.”

“The feedback on the new Civic NGTC car so far is incredibly promising and I’ve been itching to get into the car since the end of the 2011 season. Like Matt mentioned, this is the first time we have had to really push the car and I’m looking forward to putting it into action,” adds Gordon Shedden.

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/new-honda-civic-btcc-race-car-starts-testing-42810.html

The new 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe HFP unveiled in Toronto

For 2012, Honda is extending Honda Factory Performance program to include the 2012 Civic Si Coupe HFP. Joining the Accord HFP, which made its debut in 2011, the all-new Civic HFP will feature improved handling performance and more aggressive styling characteristics. The 2012 Civic Si Coupe HFP will go on sale this spring.

"After receiving positive feedback on our Accord HFP from this past year, we wanted to deliver a similar performance and styling direction to Canada's top-selling car," said Jamieson. "Civic Si Coupe HFP is perfect for the car enthusiast who wants to take both performance and style to the next level!"

2012 Civic Si Coupe HFP Highlights:
-2.4 litre, DOHC i-VTEC® engine, 4-cylinder 16-valve with 201 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque
-Close-ratio 6 speed manual transmission
-18" HFP aluminum-alloy wheels with Michelin Super Sport Performance Tires
-HFP Suspension Package
-HFP side underbody, front bumper underbody and rear bumper underbody spoilers
-HFP exterior badging and interior floor mats
-Helical limited-slip differential
-Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with bilingual Voice Recognition
-Leather-wrapped steering wheel
-Sport seats with high-contrast stitching and embroidery
-360-watt AM/FM/CD premium audio system with MP3/Windows Media® Audio playback capability and 7 speakers including subwoofer, USB, and XM Satellite Radio
-HandsFreeLink™-bilingual Bluetooth® wireless mobile phone interface

Source;
http://www.auto123.com/en/news/the-new-2012-honda-civic-si-coupe-hfp-unveiled-in-toronto?artid=140666

2012 Honda Odyssey and CR-V Win ALG Canadian Residual Value Awards

Fourth-annual ALG awards honour 2012 vehicles that demonstrate ability to hold value in Canadian market

MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - Two of Honda Canada's most popular vehicles have received Canadian Residual Value Awards from automotive insights company ALG, the industry benchmark for residual values. The 2012 Honda Odyssey won in the MPV category while the 2012 Honda CR-V, Canada's top-selling import SUV, won in the Compact Utility category.

"These awards are a testament to the quality and reliability that customers have come to expect from Honda," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president, Honda Canada Inc. "Odyssey and CR-V play very important roles in the lives of many Canadians and these awards should reassure our customers of the investment they are making when choosing Honda."

About the ALG Residual Awards
The annual ALG Residual Value Awards recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in producing vehicles that demonstrate the ability to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a three-year period. Awards are given in 19 vehicle categories and two brand categories (mainstream and luxury). This year's awards are based on 2012 model year vehicles.

Award winners are determined through careful study of the competition in each segment, historical vehicle performance, industry trends, and economic conditions. Vehicle quality, production levels relative to demand, and pricing and marketing strategies remain the key factors that impact ALG's residual value forecasts.

About the 2012 Honda Odyssey
Ample space, dramatic exterior styling and engaging driving experience are among the well-deserved impressions people get from Honda's eight-passenger, luxurious family-mover that continues to be a class leader in fuel efficiency and safety. For a family on the go, Honda's Odyssey is the ultimate recreation room on wheels.

"Honda has kept incentives and fleet penetration to a minimum on the Odyssey, which is a rolling showcase of emerging technology and smart packaging," said Geoff Helby, Canada Regional Director for ALG. "Always versatile, the Odyssey can transform from upscale family transporter to voluminous cargo carrier in a matter of seconds."

The Odyssey is unsurpassed for safety with an extensive list of safety equipment including the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure - a Honda-exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. Combining that with a 248 horsepower, i-VTEC® V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management for enhanced fuel efficiency, and the highest estimated highway fuel economy in its class, the Odyssey balances power, fuel efficiency, safety and fun.

About the 2012 Honda CR-V
All new for 2012, the fourth-generation Honda CR-V embraces a sophisticated styling direction in conjunction with improved interior comfort, improved fuel economy, a smoother and quieter ride, and more innovative features as part of a 'total package' approach. Long established as the benchmark vehicle in its class with high levels of quality, refinement and value, the 2012 CR-V is designed to exceed customer expectations in the compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment with increased value resulting from lower MSRPs across the entire CR-V lineup and added content.

"With improved styling and feature-rich content, the redesigned CR-V provides a strong value proposition for consumers," said Geoff Helby, Canada Regional Director for ALG. "In a hyper-competitive segment, adding competitive features and drivetrain to an already class-leading vehicle and the strength of the Honda brand deliver great value for consumers."

All CR-Vs are powered by a 2.4-litre i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine with 185 horsepower and 163 lb.-ft. of torque. In addition, a new ECON operating mode increases the potential for drivers to improve the vehicle's fuel efficiency when the system is activated. The 2012 Honda CR-V is built at Honda's assembly plant in Alliston, Ontario.

About Honda Canada
Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969 and currently employs approximately 4,700 associates in addition to more than 15,000 dealership personnel across the country. Honda Canada has built close to 6 million cars and trucks since 1986. Honda's two vehicle assembly plants in Alliston, Ontario, produce Honda CR-V, the Civic Coupe, Sedan and Si models, and the Acura MDX and ZDX. An adjacent engine plant produces fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines for Civic. All three plants have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill status. Honda Canada has invested more than $2.6 billion in Canada, and annually sources nearly $1.1 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers.

About ALG
(www.alg.com)Based in Santa Barbara, California, ALG is the industry standard for residual values and a leading provider of insights and consulting services to the automotive industry. ALG publishes the Automotive Lease Guide - the benchmark for residual value expectations in North America, and has been forecasting automotive residual values for nearly 50 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Image with caption: "Geoff Helby, Canada Regional Director, ALG, presents the 2012 Residual Value Award for the Honda Odyssey to Jerry Chenkin, Executive Vice President, Honda Canada Inc., at the Canadian International Auto Show. (CNW Group/Honda Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120216_C4893_PHOTO_EN_10212.jpg

Source;
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/589146

Freeze Frame: The Next Acura NSX Meets The Aborted Acura NSX

Written by: Evan McCausland
Honda didn’t really reveal anything shocking at its global motorsports press conference this week, but it did manage to infuse a bit of irony when it parked the new Acura NSX concept (wearing Honda emblems, of course) next to what could have been the next Acura NSX.

Long before the current NSX program debuted, Honda envisioned the second-generation Acura NSX as a front-engined gran turismo. The Acura Advanced Sports Coupe concept, which made its North American debut at the 2007 Detroit auto show, reportedly gave a good look at what Honda had planned for the NSX’s successor, including a ten-cylinder engine and a variation of its torque-shifting Super Handling-AWD (SH-AWD) system.

As the story goes, those dreams never exactly became reality. Honda shelved the NSX program after the global economic kerfuffle, but the progress made to that point wasn’t for naught. Honda’s motorsports wing adapted the design into the HSV-010 GT Super GT car – which you see here in black, alongside the new 2015 NSX concept.

Honda has hinted the new NSX could spawn a race variant of its own, but until then, the HSV-010 GT continues to compete in Japan’s Super GT GT500 series. Honda’s fielding five HSV-010 GT cars this year, all of which receive mild aerodynamic revisions for the 2012 season.

Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/freeze-frame-the-next-acura-nsx-meets-the-aborted-acura-nsx-110529.html#ixzz1meNKdZj5

Healthystuff.org's new 2012 Hazardous Chemical Study in New Cars

HealthyStuff.org Findings
HealthyStuff.org releases new test results for a variety of products throughout the year. This findings section highlights the latest set of test results and discusses overall trends and important findings for each set of products we test.

2012 New Vehicle Study
There's more to green vehicles than just fuel economy

HealthyStuff.org produces one-of-kind ratings for healthy interiors for new vehicles.
This is the only organization that routinely tests new vehicles for the health of their vehicle interiors and posts the data publicly for consumers.

While fuel economy is important, the public in increasingly concerned about chemical hazards in consumer products.

There is no mandatory testing or regulation of chemicals used inside vehicles. Thus, consumers face a lack of information while they are car shopping.

Long-term exposure even to small amounts of pollutants can adversely impact health. Children are at a greater risk for developing health problems because they breathe in more air with respect to their body size than adults and thus have greater exposure to interior vehicle pollutants.

Chemical Hazards in Vehicles
Exposure to many toxic chemicals is highest indoors: Average Americans spens up to 90% of their daily lives indoors. The EPA has estimated indoor air pollution levels can be two to five times higher than outdoor air pollution levels. EPA has ranked indoor air pollution one of the top five environmental risks to public health. Next to homes and offices, we spend the most time in automobiles: 1.5 hours per day on average.

The "New Car Smell" is toxic: The "new car smell" is actually the smell of toxic chemicals off-gassing from interior auto parts such as the seating, dashboards and vehicle trim. Since 1960 the quantity of plastics used in vehicles has grown ten-fold, rising from 22 pounds in 1960 to over 250 pounds today. Many synthetic materials and plastics are produced with chemical additives that are used to change the engineering performance of the plastics, thus these plastics may contain plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardants, aintimicorbials and antioxidants. Due to these additives, many pollutants, including benzene, toluene and xylene, were found in levels exceeding indoor and outdoor air quality standards.

The concentrations of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in vehicles contribute nearly 30% to total daily exposure.

Auto interiors are chemical reactors: Immediately after delivery, new vehicles have been found to be universally contaminated with very high concentrations of a large number of chemicals that diffuse from interior vehicle materials. Over 275 different chemicals have been identified in vehicles interiors, including chemicals associate with birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer. Automobiles are unique and harsh environments for plastics. Air temperature extremes of 192 F (89 C) and dash temperatures up to 248 F (120 C) have been observed in vehicles. These extreme temperatures can increase the concentration of VOCs and high levels of sunlight producing breakdown products which can also be harmful to human health.

Some cars are better the others, healthier cars are possible: HealthyStuff.org has screened 900 vehicles since 2006. Our unique tests show a clear difference between the best vehicles and bets companies and others. The best vehicles today have eliminated important chemical hazards, including hazardous flame retardants and PVC. Today, 17% of new vehicles have PVC-free interiors and 60% are produced without BFRs in the interiors.

Vehicle ratings
HealthyStuff.org is releasing one-of-kind test data on 204 new 2011-2012 model new vehicles. This data is part of a multi-year HealthyStuff.org vehicle database containing test results for 900 vehicles.

The overall best and worst vehicles are listed below. The 2012 Honda Civic (score 0.46) was the overall best-rated vehicle and 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (score 3.17) was the overall worst-rated vehicle this year.

The Civic achieved its ranking by being free of bromine-base flame retardants is all interior components, utilizing PVC-free interior fabrics and interior trim, and low levels of heavy metals and other metal allergens.

The Mitsubishi Outlander contained bromine and antimony-bases flame retardants in seating, the center console and seat base, chromium treated leather on several components and over 400 ppm lead in seating materials.

Overall Vehicle Ratings: Overall vehicle ratings continue to improve. These improvements are due to a significant reduction in the use of PVC and BFR by some automakers.

Top Ranked Manufacturer: The top-rated automaker for healthy interiors continues to be Honda. Honda has been HealthyStuff.org's top ranked automaker every year since 2007. Hyundai-Kia has been the lowest ranked manufacturer for the last two years.

Auto Manufacturer Trends
Most Improved Automakers: Most improved automakers in terms of the average ratings for their vehicles are VW (+42%), Mitsubishi (+38%) and Ford (+30%). These represent improvement in their average vehicle scores between the combined 2009-2010 models years to the combined 2011-2012 model years.

Automakers With Declining Ratings: Two automakers had overall declining average scores between the combined 2009-2010 models years to the combined 2011-2012 model years. Daimler AG (-29%) and Volvo (-13%).

PVC in vehicles
PVC is the most toxic plastic: PVC, a widely used type of plastic in vehicles that is of concern to the environment and public health during all phases of its life cycle. During the production phase, workers at PVC facilities, as well as residents and wildlife in surrounding neighborhoods, may be exposed to the vinyl chloride monomer and/or dioxin, both of which are likely carcinogen. At the end of vehicle life, PVC causes a host of additional environmental issues. PVC is not easily recycled from auto parts and therefore often ends up in landfills, where the chemicals can leach out and contaminate soil, water and wildlife. Otherwise, it is incinerated or burned for energy recovery, in which case highly toxic dioxins and furans can form and be emitted into the air. Flexible PVC often contains hazardous plasticizers, or 'softeners,' called phthalates, which off-gas during vehicle use and are deposited on dust particles and windshields, where they cause "fogging."

PVC-free alternatives are available: PVC-free alternatives are available for almost every use of PVC in the automotive sector. In recent years, automakers have begun replacing PVC with polyurethanes and polyolefins, which contain fewer harmful additives and are easier to recycle.

On a fleet-wide basis PVC use continues to decline: Zero percent of pre-2006 vehicles had PVC-free interiors. 17% (34) of 2011/2012 vehicle models had PVC-free interiors. Overall 103, 2006-2012 model year vehicles in the HealthyStuff.org vehicle database have PVC-free interiors. A complete list of PVC-free vehicle is available.

Honda phases out PVC: Honda has virtually eliminated PVC, with 83% of its 2011/2012 models being free of PVC in the interiors. HealthyStuff.org testing confirms Honda achievement of its publicly stated commitment in its 2011 North American Environmental Report: "Honda's goal is to reduce the use of materials containing chlorine to a less than 1% concentration in materials that can end up in the waste stream as shredder residue at the end of an automobile's useful life."

Hazardous flame retardants in vehicles
Brominated flame retardants are widely use in vehicles: brominated flame retardants (BFRs) refers a wide range of brominated chemicals added to materials to both inhibit their ignition and slow their rate of combustion. Commonly used examples include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), as well as brominated polymeric and oligomeric materials. 40% of vehicle tested in 2012 contained BFRs n the vehicle interiors.

Many BFRs are toxic and everywhere: Several BFRs, including certain PBDEs and HBCD, have known toxic properties, are highly resistant to degradation in the environment and are able to bioaccumulate (build up in animals and humans). Some are now widespread environmental pollutants, with higher levels generally being found in the atmosphere and rivers close to urban and industrialised areas. These compounds can be released from such products during use, leading to their presence in household dust and resulting in increased human exposure. And when these products reach the end of their useful lives, some disposal or recycling operations (e.g incineration, smelting and open burning) can release the bromine in other hazardous forms, including as hydrogen bromide and brominated dioxins. Levels of BFR's in the interior vehicle environment are 5-10 higher then homes and offices.

Vehicles can be safe without hazardous flame retardants: HealthyStuff.org testing illustrates that safer alternatives can be used to replace the most hazardous chemical used in vehicles. Alternatives which provide the degree of fire safety required under law without using organic compounds of bromine do already exist, including some direct chemical substitutes, as well as use of alternative materials and even product redesign in order to reduce or eliminate the need for flame-retardant additives.

Halogen-free vehicles
PVC & BFR-free vehicles are on the market today: Automakers continue to implement alternatives to PVC and BFRs. In 2006 only 2% of vehicle interiors were free of PVC and BFRs. In 2012, 4-times the number of vehicles (8%) were free of PVC and BFRs.

Regional Differences in Chemical Use
This data highlights regional differences in PVC and BFRs between European, Asian and North America assembled vehicles. The country in which vehicles were assembled was tracked using the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Overall, the progressive regulation of chemical additives in consumer products in Europe and end of life vehicle concerns in Asia is driving elimination of important chemical hazards from vehicles.

Asia: Vehicles assembled in Asia utilized significantly less PVC in vehicle components. On average, vehicles assembled in Japan or Korea showed a 50% reduction in the use of PVC. However, Asia assembled vehicles contained on average over twice the number of components. This data likely reflects the increased focus by Asian manufacturers, lead by Honda, on reducing the amount of chlorine in vehicles due to concerns about emissions during end-of-life vehicle processing.

Europe: Vehicles assembled in Europe utilized the most PVC, more than double the amount of vehicles assembled in other parts of the world. However, levels of BFR use in vehicles are by far the lowest in Europe. This difference likely reflects the impact of European regulations, including the End of Life Vehicle Directive, RHoS and REACH on components being used in vehicles.

North America: While all North American manufacturers market vehicles globally, our data illustrates that US produced vehicles lag behind European and Asian produced vehicles in PVC and BFR use reduction. The US has the weakest chemical regulatory system for chemical in consumer products and provides the fewest incentives for companies to phase-out hazardous chemicals.

Note: HealthyStuff.org only tests for a limited set of chemical hazards. Vehicles may also contain other chemical hazards, including chlorinated flame retardants (CFR) which were NOT tested for in this study

Source;
http://www.healthystuff.org/departments/cars/about.findings.php

Acura’s Super Bowl “Transaction” ad did its job, says Honda’s chief marketing officer

The Super Bowl ad that featured Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno competing with each other to get the upcoming Acura NSX sports car was so effective that its Web site crashed just moments after the Super Bowl ended. Its traffic increased by 3,000%. According to Mike Accavitti, American Honda's chief marketing officer, the Web site was down for around 10 minutes. The ad was posted Jan. 30 on its Web site. Since that day until Feb. 6, it had received 16 million views. Accavitti was interviewed last Tuesday at an Acura press event before the Chicago Auto Show opened.

In this ad, Seinfeld and Leno attempt to bribe the man who possesses the rights to the first 2015 NSX supercar. The NSX concept made its debut at the Detroit auto show last month. It will go on sale in around three years. Accavitti pointed out that this direction that Acura has taken “isn't by accident.” He said this “well thought-out, laser-focused plan” will get Acura on people's shopping lists since it has these new products to be revealed soon.

Showrooms will get the redesigned 2013 RDX crossover and the latest edition to the Acura line, the compact 2013 ILX sedan, starting this spring. Accavitti said that the traffic driving that the company did with the ad offered the results that it was looking for. Visitors to the Web site also clicked on Acura’s other models aside from the NSX, RDX and ILX.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/acuras-super-bowl-transaction-ad-did-its-job-says-hondas-chief-marketing-of/

Honda India: Honda City: A breezy performer

This is not for the North American market, but for those that are interested in what this is, think of a smaller Civic or a Honda FIT/Jazz sedan....
The Honda City belongs to a league of its own because it's not a Maruti and yet has been a runaway success since its 1997 launch. Fifteen years on, the City has got a makeover that has transformed the car into a better looker and greater performer.

The new look starts with the new front grille that looks less of an egg crate and more muscular and dynamic. The 10-spoke alloy wheels (in the upper-end models) complement the new exterior look; the front and rear bumpers also have been redesigned, the latter sporting smart reflectors. We can see that the rear lights have been made more contemporary with 'clear' lines that add to the premium look of the car. And you'll be delighted to know that halogen headlamps now come as a standard feature.

The top-of-the-line 'V' variant features an utterly useless but immensely lovable sunroof, through which you can gaze at the stars or take in the fresh air, as long as no bird decides to fertilise your premium car and its leather upholstery. You will be glad to know that halogen headlamps are a standard feature on the car.

On the inside too, changes abound. The instrumentation stays the same, with the exception that the dials now come in blue, foregoing their former amber illumination. Strangely enough, the main console lighting is still amber, so you can imagine your favourite vehicle to be a lounge bar as well. That said, the interiors are finished in a soft-to-touch beige cloth and the upper versions are swathed in expanses of supple leather.

For penny pinchers, Honda has introduced a 'corporate' model, which has black interiors and comes with a basic set of features, but does away with the integrated sound system guided by remote control, which you'll now find only in the higher- end models. Honda, incidentally, was one of the first companies in the country to do away with a CD player in its cars and offer USB connectivity as a standard feature.

Honda uses several proprietory technology to ensure that the City is one of the safest cars you can buy. It makes no compromises on safety. Even the base 'corporate' model comes with features like front airbags, anti-lock braking that incorporate brake assist systems, a driver's side anti-pinch guard and a standard immobiliser to protect your investment.

The City's 1.5 litre engine now outputs around 116bhp, but what is sexy about it is the way it goes about doing its job. Honda always was a master of small displacement petrol engines and the City's powerplant has to be one of the jewels in its crown.

Turn the key and the engine settles into a muted thrum, which is difficult to tell unless you look at the rev counter. Pumping the accelerator towards its nearly 7,000rpm redline does not produce any gruffness; the excellent engine mountings ensure that no vibration or harshness gets transmitted to the occupants.

Slot the gear lever to the left and up for first, and you'd be surprised at the lightness of the clutch, but what's really impressive is the torque spread - 146Nm of it is spread evenly across the rev range and you never feel as if the car is going to stall. Even the air- conditioning compressor cuts in and out silently - if you strain your ears, you'll hear a click as it comes on or goes off.

The City was one of the first cars in its segment to offer variable valve timing on its engines - that is, it operates different sets of engine valves with intelligent timing so that you get excellent drivability with reduced fuel consumption and resultantly lower emissions. The City, in fact, is legendary for its frugal consumption of black gold, so you can expect a return of at least 15-17kpl in the city with the aircon on.

A light steering response, which gets firmer with speed, and a willing engine make light work of city traffic. Opt for the five- speed automatic and driving becomes a breeze. And the increased ground clearance to 165mm means that the City doesn't have to scrape its pretty underbody on speedbreakers anymore. The City, like good whisky, keeps getting better with age.

Source;
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honda-city-a-breezy-performer/1/173255.html

Honda Announces Ambitious 2012 Le Mans Prototype Program

Honda Performance Development HPD) has an ambitious sports-prototype effort for the 2012 season as it takes part in both LMP1 and LMP2 categories in two series: FIA's World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

This year marks the largest customer endurance program to date for HPD as it will have a total of seven HPD-powered cars on the grid in both series.

"In recent years, teams running HPD engines and chassis have delivered remarkable results at some of the world's greatest sports car races, starting with an amazing LMP2 victory--and second and third overall finishes--at our endurance racing debut, the 2007 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring," Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president said. " Another highlight was Strakka Racing's LMP2 victory and fifth-place overall finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, also on our first attempt!"

Eriksen realizes that the return to LMP1 (first time since 2010) and continuing the LMP2 program will be the biggest challenge yet for the team's engineers and associates.

"I'm extremely confident in our capabilities and look forward to another exciting season in 2012," he said. "We expect that the proven design, development and engineering expertise of HPD and its technical partners will provide our teams with the tools they need to succeed. It will be an exciting season."

HPD has three accomplished racing organizations that will campaign its ARX-03a open prototype in the LMP1 class. Strakka Racing, a UK-based team continues its three-year association with HPD, moving from LM P2 to the premier LM P1 category in the new FIA World Endurance Championship. Drivers are Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts.

JRM Racing, which won the FIA GT1 championship last year, is also campaigning an LMP1 ARX-03a HPD prototype this year with David Brabham (long an HPD stalwart), Karun Chandok and Peter Dumbreck at the helm for the eight-race WEC schedule.

An American-based team recently announced plans to take part in the full WEC schedule. Florida-based Starworks Motorsport had a second-place result at the recent 24 Hours of Daytona (with another engine/chassis combination) and will join the LMP2 grid for the first time with team regulars Ryan Dalziel and Enrico Potoliccio at the wheel.

Greg Pickett's Muscle Milk Racing team debuts the ARX-03a chassis in the American Le Mans Series championship with team regulars Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr driving the LMP1 open race car.

Level 5 Motorsports, fresh off an undefeated ALMS season with HPD power in ALMS LMP2 competition, continues with a pair of new ARX-03b chassis for drivers Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker. The team also plans to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and follow up on their strong third-place result in LMP2 last year. Black Swan Racing is moving to LMP2 with HPD power, campaigning a Lola B10/80 coupe in the ALMS championship, after winning the GTC title in 2010. The driving duo of team owner Tim Pappas and Jerome Bleekmolen move up to this prototype class as part of the HPD lineup.

HPD is continuing its technical partnership with Wirth Research in the UK, building on the global successes they've achieved together in recent years. This include numbers class and/or outright victories in all the world's premier sports car races and championships, including both the Le Mans 24-Hour race and the Sebring 12-Hour contest.

Source:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1072740_honda-announces-ambitious-2012-le-mans-prototype-program

Honda Odyssey Named One of the Smartest Car for Family

Smartest Cars for Families 2012
We test-drive the smartest, tech-iest family cars hitting the carpool lane this year.
By Scott Steinberg

Honda Odyssey Touring Elite

By the numbers: Three rows, eight seats, 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway

Game-changer for lane-changers: The Blind Spot Information System provides an extra pair of eyes on the road (in the form of radar sensors). The door-mounted indicators illuminate when the sensors detect trouble.

One DVD screen, two happy siblings: The split-screen monitor helps you entertain two kids at once.

Source;

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/best-family-cars-suvs?pnid=517378

Honda Aims to Reclaim Its Luster

By NICK BUNKLEY

DETROIT — When everything seems to be going wrong, hire Jerry Seinfeld, bring back Ferris Bueller and pray. And even then things might not improve all that much.

That’s the predicament for Honda as it tries to recover from its troubles in the past year, when a series of natural disasters in Asia caused sales to plunge, and an important model, the revamped Civic, got such a poor reception that the company rushed to make changes.

Honda’s chief executive, Takanobu Ito, was so fearful that the company might be “jinxed” that he spent New Year’s Day at a Japanese shrine in the hope of eliminating the “bad omens,” he said recently. In commercials for Honda shown during the Super Bowl, Mr. Seinfeld is desperate to get the first Acura NSX, a concept car not coming to market for several years, and Matthew Broderick plays himself, taking a Bueller-like day off away from the movie set and giving a shout-out to the Honda CR-V.

The two ads were highly rated by viewers, and Honda is off to a better start in 2012, breaking a string of eight consecutive monthly sales declines in the United States with an 8.8 percent increase in January. But analysts do not foresee a smooth road back for the carmaker, whose market share dropped to 9 percent last year, the lowest level since 2005. Its share was 10.6 percent in 2010.

On Monday, Moody’s Investors Service cut Honda’s credit-rating outlook to negative from stable, citing “significant challenges” for Honda and doubts about how much market share the company can regain even after dealer inventories are back to full strength. “Although Honda still has a good reputation, the competition in the auto market is getting tougher because its rivals have improved their product quality and brand acceptance in the last several years,” Tadashi Usui, a vice president with Moody’s Investors Service in Tokyo, said in a report.

Honda executives, while projecting a 60 percent drop in net profits for the fiscal year that ends in March, have expressed confidence that the company is on the brink of a significant rebound. One goal is a 25 percent sales increase in the United States this year, helped by a redesigned CR-V crossover vehicle and several new models for its upscale Acura brand.

Honda unveiled the production versions of the Acuras, the RDX crossover and ILX compact car, this week at the Chicago auto show. They are part of a major push to expand Acura, whose sales last year suffered even more than the mainstream Honda brand. Honda executives have said they hope to sell 180,000 Acuras this year, which would represent a 46 percent increase. Still, the NSX featured in the Super Bowl ad is not scheduled to go on sale for about three years, and with a price expected to top $100,000, it will not be a very high-volume car.

“In order to grow, the product offering that they have needs to be more compelling,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with the research firm IHS Automotive.

Honda was hit harder than other automakers by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March. Its factories in Japan, North America and elsewhere were forced to stop or slow production for months because of parts shortages, and dealerships across the United States sold out of some popular models as a result.

A rival, Nissan, even ran a commercial showing a loaded Nissan car carrier passing an idle Honda dealer in an empty lot.

Honda was just beginning to recover from the tsunami when severe flooding in Thailand compounded the shortages. Executives say dealers should finally be back to normal inventory by the end of March, putting the company back on a level playing field with its rivals for the first time in nearly a year.

Honda’s inventories grew 38 percent from December to January.

“Last year we had a big handicap,” Tetsuo Iwamura, the chief executive of American Honda, said last month in Detroit, adding that 2012 “is the year that we will be able to show how Honda is competitive in the marketplace.”

Besides running plants on overtime to compensate for the lost production last year, Honda has worked to get vehicles to dealerships faster. By altering how it assembles shipments of various models and making other changes to its logistics operations, deliveries to crucial markets like Chicago and Houston occurred up to 15 percent faster, a Honda spokesman, Edward K. Miller, said.

“We thought we were efficient, but we discovered a whole lot of room for improvement,” Mr. Miller said in an e-mail. “Delivery times shrank dramatically.”

Honda has said it might cost $650 million to rebuild a plant in Thailand that was underwater for several weeks last fall. The damage and lost production from the flooding and the Japanese tsunami combined with the high value of the yen to cut Honda’s third-quarter earnings by 41 percent.

The company now expects to earn about 215 billion yen ($2.8 billion) in the current fiscal year, down from 534 billion ($6.9 billion) a year earlier. Its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are down 20 percent in the past year, though they have risen 20 percent so far in 2012
For decades, Honda had been on a relentless march upward in the auto industry, steadily expanding its market share by churning out ever-larger quantities of cars consistently rated as the most fuel-efficient and reliable in the country. Though it has never been able to catch its rival, Toyota, in size, Honda always seemed equally invincible as the two companies wrested control of the American passenger-car market from Detroit.

After introducing itself to American shoppers in the 1970s with cars including the Civic, Honda turned its Accord into the top-selling Japanese car in each year from 1982 through 1996; the Accord was the first Japanese nameplate to be the country’s most popular car over all in 1989.
In the fall, Honda plans to bring out a redesigned version of the Accord, still its top-selling vehicle. Much of Honda’s ability to regain market share depends on the Accord’s being successful, and the stakes are even higher after the Civic elicited many negative reviews last year.

In addition, the Accord will face stiffer competition than in the past from other midsize sedans. Besides the Toyota Camry, whose sales have surged since it was redesigned last year, the Accord will be up against new versions of the Ford Fusion, which was a breakout hit at the auto show in Detroit last month, and Chevrolet Malibu.

“There’s going to be a lot of noise in the market in that particular segment,” said Ms. Lindland, the IHS Automotive analyst. “They’ve got to have a significant home run in order to get people to notice.”

Most notably, the magazine Consumer Reports, which historically has given high marks to most Hondas, stopped recommending that consumers buy the Civic. It said the car now “feels insubstantial with a cheap interior” and falls short of the standards set by improved compact-car models from Chevrolet, Ford and Hyundai, among others.

Though Honda officials disputed the notion that the Civic is not competitive — and pointed out that its sales jumped 50 percent in January, making it the month’s top-selling compact — the carmaker is accelerating what is known as a “midcycle refresh” of the car.

Executives told dealers attending a national convention last weekend that the refreshed 2013 Civic will arrive around the same time as the Accord, a mere 18 months after its introduction, the trade publication Automotive News reported. Automakers typically wait at least three years after introducing a model before making substantial changes.

Source;
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/business/global/beleaguered-honda-hopes-the-fates-are-kinder-in-2012.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25&pagewanted=print